Wednesday, May 08, 2013

Noah Haidu - Momentum (Posi-Tone, 2013)

Pianist Noah Haidu leads a solid mainstream trio on this album supported by Ariel de la Portilla on bass and McClenty Hunter on drums. The play a wide variety of original compositions and a few standards that cohere well as a mainstream jazz LP. "Momentum" and "Groove Interlude" are a showcase for Haidu's percussive uptempo piano playing, driving the music forward, with ample support from bass and drums. On the standards "A Child Is Born" and "The End of a Love Affair" you hear the more melodic sense of the band. Haidu has an excellent sense of time and pacing, allowing the music to breathe well and allowing his colleagues ample space to express themselves. He ends the album with a reading solo piano reading of of "Serenity" which builds from a forlorned opening to a a hopeful and gentle conclusion. All in all, this is a fine piano trio release, quite accessible and approachable for most mainstream jazz fans. Momentum - amazon.com